Sheet metal can



May 25, 1965 B. w. HAZELTON SHEET METAL CAN Filed Oct. 26, 1962 FIG 4United States Patent C) 3,185,340 SHEET METAL CAN Burton W. Hazelton,Kirltwood, Mm, assignor to Pet Miik Company, St. Louis, Mo., acorporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 26, 1962, 591'. No. 233,332 1(Ilaizn. (Cl. 226-67) The invention relates to metal cans as are ingeneral use, particularly for evaporated milk, and are characterized,for the purpose of this invention, in that the can top has a simpledown-turned marginal flange overlapping the rim of the can body andsoldered to the can side as distinguished from a can top having amarginal portion internested with the rim of the can body and formingthe-rewith a double seam, sometimes called a sanitary can.

The main object of the invention is to adapt a can of the first type forelfective application thereto of a lever type opener commonly termed acan tapper, which is anchored or fulcrumed on the edge of downturnedflange of the top of the can and swung about its fulcrum to punch a holein the can top through which the contents may be poured out. This cannotbe done with the plain margin can having a straight downturned flangetop because the opener fulcrum or anchor part s-l-ips oil the edge ofthe flange.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention FIG. 1 is afragmentary section through the corner of a sanitary seam can showingthe application of a lever type opener thereto.

FIG. 2 is a similar section through the ordinary plane flange-top canshowing the result of the application of a lever type opener thereto.

FIG. 3 is an elevation and section through a can embodying the presentinvention showing the application of a lever type opener thereto.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale section showing in detail the novelstructure of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 3 but illustrates another form of theinvention.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are similar to FIG. 4 but illustrate other forms ofthe invention.

In FIG. 1 the upper rim of the can side 1 and the marginal portion ofthe can top 2 are brought together and bent outwardly, downwardly,inwardly and upwardly as indicated to form a plural lap joint or seam.Usually a thin liner or gasket is rolled between the can body and topbefore the seaming operation to assure a seal and no solder is usedbetween the can side and the top. With this construction there results adownwardly facing shoulder of substantial width and a recess next to thecan side into which the end of the prong 4 of a lever type opener, orcan tapper, 5 may be inserted and anchor or fulcrum the tapper while itshandle is raised as indicated at 5a and the point 6 of the tapper isthrust downwardly to form an aperture in the can top.

With usual cans of the type to which the present invention relates, therim 11 (FIG. 2) of the can side 12 terminates at the inner face of thecan top 13 and the plain straight marginal flange 14 of the latteroverlaps the cylindrical rim, the flange of the top and the side of thecan are sealed tight by a line of solder 15, which penetrates thecrevice between the top and body although some of the solder may remainin the angle between the edge of the flange and the adjacent metal ofthe body. Accordingly there is absent any substantial downwardly facingledge or crevice for the tapper prong 17 to engage. As a result when theopener is swung upwardly as indicated at 18 the prong slides off theedge of the top flange and the top is not punctured.

To avoid this result and to adapt a can of thistype for perforation by atapper as shown, the can side wall 21 of FIGS. 3 and 4 is provided witha bead or indentation 22 readily rolled into the side wall by the canforming machine. This head is so close to the upper edge of the can sidewall that the lower edge of flange 24 of top 25 pro jects below theoutermost portion of the bead and forms therewith a downwardly facingrecess into which the tip of the tapper prong may be inserted andretained and accordingly anchor the tapper While the handle i lifted tothe position shown at 27 with its pointed end puncturing the can top. Itwill be understood that a deposit of solder is used to seal the top andthe side of a can of this type and seeps into the crevice between thetop and the side but the quantity of the solder is insuflicient to fillup the angle between the lower edge of the top flange and the upperportion of the recess, hence the tapper prong will not slip olf of theflange, as shown in FIG. 2, but will be securedly anchored until thetapper has performed its function as shown in FIG. 3 and is then loweredand removed irom the can.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modified can in which the can side 31, instead ofbeing indented, is oliset outwardly at 32 and the flange 33 of the top34 overhangs the ofiset, and any solder applied to the crevice betweenthe can side and the top, and provides a recess for the tapper prong asshown in FIG. 3.

Both forms of the invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 embody shoulder andrecess forming structure at both ends of the can and such arrangementwould avoid the necessity of distinguishing between the top and thebottom of the can when a label is applied and avoid a consumerpositioning the can right side up when the rapper is applied. Obviouslythe novel structure is only required at one end of the can.

FIG. 6 shows another form of the invention in which the downwardlyfacing shoulder on the can side wall is formed by a slight out-turnedlip 41 on the upper end of the cylindrical side Wall. The downturnedflange 42 on the top projects below lip 41 far enough to accommodate aseal of solder and provide a recess for the tapper tip.

FIG. 7 shows another form of the invention in which the can side wall 51is straight to its uppermost edge but the downturned flange 52 of thetop is otfset at 53 to provide the spacer between the top and side wallfor the tapper anchoring prong.

FIG. 8 shows another form of the invention in which the can side wall 61is straight to the top edge, as shown in FIG. 7, but the downturnedflange 62 of the top is flared downwardly and outwardly to provide thecrevice for the solder and the recess for the tapper prong.

The head or indentation may be V-shaped or channelshaped and othervariations in the provision of a downwardly opening recess by a singleoverlapping of top and side wall may be utilized without departing fromthe spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modificationsof the details coming within the scope of the appended claim iscontemplated.

What is claimed is:

A can for evaporated milk or the like comprising a tubular body havingat least one open end portion, the other end being closed, an inwardlyextending annular groove adjacent the open end portion, a closure discclosing and permanently sealing the open end portion, the closure dischaving a top portion which is adapted to be punctured by a rocking typeof puncturing can opener, the closure disc having a relatively shortdepending flange thereon circumscribing the open end portion andextending thereabout, the flange having an inner wall surface 3 and amarginal end portion, the flange inner wall surface having a relativelyclose fit with the outer wall surface of the body and providing .a spacetherebetween, bonding means in the space effecting a permanent hermeticseal between the flange and the open end portion, the bonding meansterminating at the upper edge of the groove, the flange marginal endportion extending downwardly over a portion of the groove thus providinganchoring space relative to the groove, the anchoring space being atsuch a distance from the closure disc and being so dimensioned wherebythe anchor prong of the rocking type of can opener will enter into theanchoring space thus providing 7 the fulcrum point of the can openerallowing the rocking of the can opener to puncture the closure disc andto open the can so that the contents of the can maybe poured therefrom.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS8/ 10 Denmark. 8/ 95 Great Britain. 4/24 Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

